Paul Lucas ... the next Marvin Bracy?

It was a relatively normal day at Showalter Field in Winter Park back in May of 2010 for the FHSAA Class 4A Track & Field finals. Well, until the sun started to go down, and sophomore Marvin Bracy blazed a time of 10.19 seconds in the 100 meters. It would have been a state meet record, had the time been wind-legal. In any case, Bracy's time caught the attention of track followers from coast-to-coast. Despite the fact he had yet to suit up in a varsity football game, Bracy's speed also caught the attention of football coaches all over the country as well that night.

After going through the recruiting process, Bracy committed in July of 2011 to play football and run track at Florida State. He redshirted as a freshman on the gridiron last fall in Tallahassee. But on the track, Bracy lived up to expectations. After just one year at FSU, Bracy elected to go pro in track this spring and forgo his remaining eligibility without playing a down of football. Such is the risk when recruiting a player with that much track speed.

Bracy isn't the only track star to become a highly-recruited football prospect, of course. He followed closely on the heels of Jeff Demps, who ran the fastest prep 100m time in history, before going on to a successful career as a football player and sprinted at the University of Florida (winning a national championship in both sports). Levonte "Kermit" Whitfield, a cousin of Bracy, also decided to attend FSU after a decorated prep track career.

Last night's nationally-televised battle between Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and Mountain Pointe (Phoenix) might have been the coming-out party for another track star as well. Mountain Pointe junior Paul Lucas rushed for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns – on only eight carries – in a 28-21 upset win for the Pride on the road over the No. 21 team in the country, according to the USA Today rankings.

Like Bracy, Lucas had very little impact on the varsity squad during his first two seasons. But if last night's contest was any indication, Lucas (5-11, 175) is going to have a huge impact moving forward. In the spring, Lucas won the Arizona Div. I state title in the 100 meters by blazing a time of 10.44 seconds, edging out rival Devon Allen, who signed with Oregon in February, and is expected to make an early impact for the Ducks this fall as a freshman. 

Lucas' time, it should be added, was the fifth fastest in Arizona prep track & field history. Again, he's only a sophomore.

With his impressive debut on the gridiron last night, Lucas has served notice that he's the next big-time track star to take the prep football world by storm. I expect he could set off another wild recruiting battle, as the state of Arizona continues to produce blue-chippers at an increasingly common rate.

Here's a highlight of Lucas' exploits on the track from the spring, where he blazed a time of 10.66 seconds in the 100 meters:

David Sharpe

One of the more intriguing prospects on the recruiting trail in this cycle, offensive tackle David Sharpe (6-6, 290, Jacksonville, Fla./Providence) has been drumming up considerable interest since busting onto the scene this spring. The offers have been flying in ever since. While there has been a general consensus that Sharpe will end up at Florida when he signs his letter-of-intent paperwork, I think his recruitment will prove to be much more interesting then that.

Look no further than this quote from former USC and NFL All-Pro offensive lineman Tony Boselli for proof:

Tony Boselli on David Sharpe's planned visit to #USC: "Why wouldn't he? It's the greatest school in America" #Trojans
— Derek Tyson (@DerekTysonESPN) August 23, 2013

The Trojans will reportedly get an official visit from Sharpe, and I wouldn't discount their chances in this recruitment, especially with the presence of Boselli (now an assistant coach at Providence) in his ear.

Still, I think you need to look a little closer to Jacksonville to find the serious contenders for Sharpe's signature.

Alabama will make a run at Sharpe. We already know this, since the Crimson Tide make a run at pretty much every big-time lineman prospect on a yearly basis. Georgia figures to be in the mix. The 'Dawgs very nearly landed Laremy Tunsil from right down the road in Lake City last year, and assistant coach Will Friend has established himself as a strong presence on the recruiting trail. Sharpe has also visited South Carolina as well. The Gamecocks could be a factor in this race too.

However, the two schools I'd keep an eye on are Clemson and North Carolina. Sharpe's uncle ($), James Coley (no, not the former FSU assistant/current Miami offensive coordinator) played his college ball at Clemson before moving on to the NFL. The Tigers, perhaps more than any other team on Sharpe's short list, can sell the playing time angle. Sharpe also visited Clemson over the summer, and we know that the Tigers have had success recruiting the state of Florida under Dabo Swinney.

The Tar Heels could become a factor because of Sharpe's original love: basketball. Sharpe seems to want to at least give college hoops a shot (even if he's not likely to play for more than a season or two), and UNC clearly has the strongest hardwood tradition of any school on his short list. The Tar Heels can also sell the playing time angle as well, although they do have a commitment from a blue-chip tackle in this class (Bentley Spain).

I expect Florida to remain a serious factor in the race for Sharpe, although the rest of the pack has clearly caught up with the Gators. It will be interesting to see who gets cut from his list when he narrows it down to five, as I see six schools: Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and USC, with a legitimate claim to land the consensus top-100 prospect as of right now.

Just to show how athletic this kid is, here's a short video clip of him dunking a basketball. ATHLETIC:

Ismael Murphy-Richardson

At this point in the process, a lot of the cream has risen to the top as it relates to the recruiting game. Most big-time programs have their prospect boards pretty much solidified. Top 100 and 250 lists have started to become a little more clearer. While names will still rise and fall in the rankings, we have a much better idea of who is legit (and who is not) following the spring/summer camp circuit.

But that doesn't mean names aren't still being overlooked, and those are the stories which interest me the most between now and National Signing Day. Who are the prospects that everyone should be talking about, but aren't?

The first example I'll submit: Goodyear (Ariz.) Desert Edge LB/TE Ismael Murphy-Richardson.

Murphy-Richardson is listed at 6-4, 215 pounds, and looks the part on film. He claims a number of big-time offers (Arizona, Arizona State, Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, UCLA, USC and Washington among them.) But has generally been overlooked by the recruiting services (none have him rated more than three-stars at the moment.) This is a mistake.

Looking over his highlight film, Murphy-Richardson has the type of high-upside skill-set that makes a player of his caliber attractive to colleges. He is comfortable and athletic playing in space. At the very least, playing a 3-4 OLB position is in the cards, and I'm not sure he wouldn't be a fit as a 4-3 OLB as well. Growing into a weakside end in a 4-3 also looks to be a possibility, as the pass-rushing ability is there and can be honed and improved in time, although Murphy-Richardson will need to add some weight.

Over on offense, this guy looks like a big outside receiver. His body control is excellent, and he's a very impressive all-around athlete. With the mindset he carries over from defense, obviously blocking is not an issue for him. Growing into more of a flex, receiving-minded tight end would seem to be well within the realm of possibility as well.

After recording over 700 yards and 11 scores a season ago (while averaging more than 23 yards a reception), plus 68 tackles, five sacks and a pair of interceptions on defense, I'm intrigued to see what Murphy-Richardson does for an encore. His size, athleticism and versatility make him a top-250 prospect, in my mind. Now I'm curious to see how long it takes the recruiting services to notice as well.

No YouTube video for highlights, but if you want to see more of Ismael Murphy-Richardson, check here.

Al Golden: Friend ... or foe?

First off, let me say I have a lot of respect for the type of coach and CEO Al Golden is. He revived a moribund program at Temple to phenomenal results. So much so, that you could his tenure in Philadelphia likely spurred two head coaching promotions (himself and Steve Addazio) into the ranks of the ACC.

And, hey ... if Andrew Dice Clay is a fan of your work, what's not to like?

However, I've found his recruiting methods quite curious at Miami. SB Nation team site State Of The U took an interesting look at Golden's first full recruiting class following their first year on campus. The results of that 33-man recruiting class, as many pundits projected in February of 2012, have been predictably mixed.

Golden assembled a group that was headlined by a few South Florida stars (DB Deon Bush, DL Jelani Hamilton, DB Tracy Howard and RB Duke Johnson) along with one from Georgia (Raphael Kirby). Golden's staff also showed some savvy scouting by nabbing several other diamonds in the rough from around the state (notably OL Ereck Flowers, OL Danny Isidora, DB Rayshawn Jenkins and WR Herb Waters).

But then, the Jekell and Hyde nature of Miami's recruiting under Golden rears its ugly head. Already, nine members of the 33-man recruiting class have left the program. In just a year. That's more than a quarter of the guys they signed in February of 2012, gone within 18 months. And there appear to be a handful of other players (at least five, by my count) who probably aren't too far from hitting the door as well.

So, here's my question. What's the future of Miami going to be like if Golden is going to continue bringing in classes like this? If he takes the Nick Saban approach, and signs 30 guys every year, I'd say Miami is probably in good hands, personnel-wise (even if they probably could use a few tweaks on the coaching staff). However, if Miami's largely disappointing showing in the Class of 2013 is any indication (just 19 signees, only 16 of which made it to campus), then Hurricanes fans are going to be in for a roller coaster ride during the tenure of Al Golden.

For those who will counter with the Nevin Shaprio stuff ... yes , I get that Miami has the pall of NCAA sanctions hanging over their heads. Surely, that is not helping matters on the recruiting trail any, I get that. But with the feast-or-famine duality of Al Golden's recruiting methods, I still think the jury is out on whether or not he will be able to really turn the Miami program around. Regardless of what the NCAA decides on the future fate of the 'Canes.

8/24 UPDATE: Not even 48 hours after I posted this, the announcement that WR Jontavious Carter is transferring was made public by the SID. That's now 10 players out of 33 (nearly one-third of the class) who are not a part of the roster just over 18 months after signing with Miami. And, as I wrote on Thursday, there are still a few other guys who very likely will not be a part of this program by the time year three begins next fall. Here's a list of the players, and the reasons they are no longer a part of the 'Canes, listed below:

DT Jacoby Briscoe (transfer)
WR Jontavious Carter (transfer)
DB Vernon Davis (transfer)
RB Danny Dillard (transfer)
DT Dequan Ivery (transfer)
WR Angelo Jean-Louis (failed to qualify)
WR Robert Lockhart (transfer)
DE Gabriel Terry (dismissed from team in April)
QB David Thompson (baseball)
LB Josh Witt (concussions)

The Big 10 is falling even further behind Ohio State

Do you happen to remember that challenge which Urban Meyer issued to the other member institutions of the Big Ten back in February?

It went something like ... "quit making us look bad compared to the SEC, and let's start recruiting better as a conference."

Well, the other coaches around the Midwest don't seem to have gotten the memo, quite yet.

After looking over the roster of prospects who attended Nike's elite prospect camp – "The Opening" – it's clear that Ohio State has lapped the field on the recruiting trail in the Big Ten. They've also put together one of the more impressive classes in the country for 2014.

11 players who headed out to the Nike Campus in Beaverton, Ore. last month can count themselves as pledges to the Buckeyes. That's MORE THAN THE REST OF THE ENTIRE BIG TEN COMBINED. At the time this post goes live, there will be a grand total of eight prospects* from The Opening which are committed to the other 11 schools in the conference. Incredible.

Of course, Ohio State has surged out to a very strong start. They are only in on a handful of other prospects at this point. Other Big Ten programs will very likely close out with strong classes and land a few more top prospects to make those numbers look a little less lopsided. It should also be noted that not every top blue-chip prospect from around the country attends The Opening (five-star Michigan pledge Jabrill Peppers being a prime example). Many elect not to, and more than a few players get bids by impressing on stopwatches at regional Nike SPARQ combines across the country. This is not the end-all, be-all measure of how good a recruiting class (or particular) is.

However, the fact that Ohio State has already landed 11 prospects for 2014 who attended The Opening is impressive, nonetheless. Meyer and his staff are going out and getting big, strong, fast and skilled athletes to fill out their roster, without a doubt. The Buckeyes should be a formidable program under Urban Meyer as long as he stays in Columbus.

And for those wondering, the school with the second-most commitments to at this point to have attended The Opening? That would be Florida, of course, with seven.

*Breaking that down by team: Michigan and Penn State both had two commitments who attended The Opening. Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Purdue all had one representative each.